The Rag Mag, Volume #15, Part 1: CS2 News & Analysis

Nice opening video package…interesting they left Mirage off that SHOOT montage, have to wonder if they did so just so they wouldn’t have to listen to Sahara’s incessant bitching?

Good opening, keeping with the story that the match is unsanctioned, and could result in permanent injury, so naturally, the Doctor is upset. This shows the EWA pays attention to the little details others might overlook.

HATE vs Pariah had an interesting twist of an ending, resulting in a fatal four way for the EWA Network Championship. Unexpected way to finish this one, but it works, feeding into Night 2 of the biggest show of the year. I’m glad they exercised some patience with this result. It makes both teams look strong, and adds an aura of unpredictability to the title match. I’d rate the match on the star meter, but does anyone actually give a fuck about that?!

I don’t. Besides, this show isn’t in the Tokyo Dome, so all matches are one star.

The bitchiest EWA Combat Champion in history (including the history of the previous titles this unified Combat title represents), Sahara tries to recruit newcomer Natalie Burrows into the Fallout.

Given the results of this show, Natalie made a good choice, it would seem…but hindsight is 20/20 and we’ll get to that later.

Sahara vs McIntyre, or as I like to call it (again, in hindsight), the beginning of the end of the Fallout. Nice false finish at the start, setting up a bit of unpredictability, because with this finish, Maggie retains bragging rights when Sahara weasels her way out of it. Again. Or at least I thought. Nope. Sahara literally got her ass whopped for almost the entire duration of this match, puts on the crimson mask…and then Maggie brilliantly oversells the leg, luring Sahara into a kill move she never should have made.

The self-proclaimed rookie of the year just got owned.

The kiss moment was odd…but like someone else said, these two are fucking odd. They seem to lovehate each other. And yes, it’s a word.

Nice touch on the end with Vandervort finally getting some comeuppance for poor George Abjornson, who was brutally attacked and injured by the Fallout months prior. Sahara takes the walk of shame after ending her fabulous Combat title reign.

Duane gets makes a rare contract error with Dietrich and Dowling…not that it matters, I’m sure he’s yanking bank with the Fallout. Come out to the ring to sell the main event…nice segment, and it goes to show you how entwined everything is in the EWA. There is seriously a level of cohesion here that you rarely see in wrestling.

What’s up with Laura and Ray? Do I sense trouble in vanilla paradise?

Hank vs Black. Wow. What a spot. Fallaway slam to the outside…crazy. Tanya with a random low blow to even the odds mounts a comeback, gets the crowd fired up but the monster Hank powers out of it. Hank refuses to make the pin, yanking her up at 2. Referee says she’s unable to continue anyway and we end it…Hank backs off as the medics check on Tanya. Interesting. Well, if anything it builds something for the future…Hank proves he’s a fucking beast and Tanya proves she’s a Goonie, and Goonie’s never say die.

Wow, it’s so weird to see someone else with the Combat title. Michael Draven congratulates her and says she deserves it, she agrees. Hell, I agree. Enter Calder, pointing out the fact that while Draven may have once been a bumbling fool that fell off a ladder, he’s now a cunning fox, and he’s playing Maggie. Maggie tells Calder he made her, and she can weather any storm…with or without him. Ominous, lovely stuff.

Robertson vs Smith. Father/Son matchup for the ages. An amazing spectacle of a match, and full of emotion. Anyone that’s followed this feud of respect to this point would feel it seep into your bones…really well laid out match. Lot’s of rolling nearfalls, building the anticipation…don’t play keepaway too long here, fellas or you’ll lose us! Grady just keeps kicking out at 2.99999. I think the fact they did it for so long rebuilt the anticipation, because more often than now, too many nearfalls can take a fanbase out of a fight…they finally reach the point where they throw up their arms and say, ok fuck it…but they somehow pulled his off with the added dialogue. I’m not sure if I love or hate the fact they ended it through all that with a small package, but it works. Martin Robertson takes the victory.

We get the temporary show of respect before Robertson turns and chokebusters his father to hell and Vincent Ashe sells the shit out of the turn. Here comes Haven…Robertson tells him he’s next. Trouble in The Youth?

What the hell is going on here tonight?

SHOOT legend Donovan King makes a guest appearance at the Epicenter, bringing back some memories from a time long past…was a nice touch.

Draven vs Haven. This was a hellacious match…and of all the spots I could pick as a favorite, I’m not taking the low hanging fruit. The part where Draven picks up Haven and smacks him in the face repeatedly was THE spot in this match.

And let me tell you why. Bare with me because I’m breaking my review of the match here to go on bit of a tangent…the character we’ve been watching Draven play since his return, he’s essentially been saying one thing in public and doing another in private. I can’t tell if he’s lying or not anymore, or if the things he’s doing behind the scenes are genuine or not…which goes back to what Calder said earlier…he’s become a cunning fox. Maybe I’m just looking too far into things, but I’m not sure Draven is on the level here…not with Haven, and sure as hell not with Maggie. I guess we’ll see.

Ok, as for the controversial end. The people clearly wanted Draven to win. They didn’t give that to them. How do I feel about it? I’ll admit it, I’d have preferred the payoff…so that’s likely why I didn’t get said payoff. I think they went out of their way to not be predictable here…but I can’t say I don’t feel a bit let down by the finish…but that’s the mark in me talking.

DRAVEN SHOULD HAVE WON THAT MATCH, YOU COCKSUCKING MOTHERFUCKERS.

Ok, got it out of my system.

Grady Smith … walks away.

Vincent Ashe with some more golden announcing here, probably made me laugh when I wasn’t supposed too with the Johnny Cash playing and all.

Alllllll by myyyyysellllf.

Sorry Grady, couldn’t resist.

Goeren vs Goeren. Going into this match, I thought this was going to be the girls redemption match…as it turns out, I was wrong. Again. Unpredictable Summit II commences. I think everybody was wrong on this one. If you tell me you called Azrael Goeren winning this match, I’ll punch you in the fucking dick, you liar.

Jesus fucking Christ on a Cracker.

What the hell happened tonight?

Are the EWA killing off the Fallout?

As I noticed Sahara post on Twitter, and I now happen to agree with her: Worst. Day. Ever. For Fallout fans. And Fallout girls.

Wow.

If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the collective groans of everybody that bought Fallout merch last night at that show, because holy damn they ain’t living this down. Crazy action here, but what an amazing story coming to it’s conclusion. Ok, fuck it, I can’t do this…yadda yadda yadda, hard fought crazy ass match, but let’s get to the nitty gritty of this match. Grace loses. Gaunt and Lucy get stopped dead by Willmott and Seton. Sahara gets demolished by the surprise return of Sinnocence and … did Sinn steal Sahara? Like, literally steal her?! The Royal Guard turn on the girls…and the Fallout crumble before our eyes.

Surprising? Hell yes. But what kind of ending was this?

It was the right one.

My head is spinning.

Holy fuck, welcome to King’s Landing where The Fallout are now known as The Starks.

If you don’t get the reference, well…the Game of Thrones books can literally be translated to “Shit on the Starks”, so…there ya have it.

What an amazing night for wrestling fans…I’m literally in shock over these results. Sinn returns to the ring and has one final moment with Azrael, likely in tribute to when he once helped her.

Overall Thoughts: This was an amazing night for storytelling and wrestling, full of ups and downs…turns and returns, rises and falls. Glorious falls. Everything a fan could ask for in the grandest show of the year.